Clare Evans

Create A To-Do List That Works

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0000

Do you work from a daily to-do list or do you have a 'rolling', never-ending to-do list?

According to @BBCBreakfast this morning - people who write lists and set goals are more likely to achieve their objectives and get more done.

Well, we already know this - it's well known and oft quoted. To-do lists, checklists or however you like to organise your work, are essential tools to make sense out of the chaos or our busy lives.

Writing to-do lists is great but you need to have one that works.

Keep them short - if there's too much on your daily list, you'll feel overwhelmed. Pick 5-10 tasks that you'll be able to action today.

Prioritise them - not every task has the same importance, so use numbers, letters or colours to prioritise the items on your list and make sure you do the high priority ones first. Otherwise you'll cherry-pick the 'nice' tasks and leave the more difficult ones, even though they may be more important.

Group similar tasks together and tackle them at the same time - like phone calls, email, admin or updating your finances. It's quicker and more efficient.

Create intelligent lists. Don't just list out tasks but break them down in to manageable tasks. 'Complete Project X' - may be a series of tasks and take several days but 'arrange meeting with Y' may be the first step and take just a few minutes. Add completion dates and timings to better organise your tasks. You might also want to include a status if other people are involved. Spreadsheets are a great way to plan your activity.

Review your lists - check your list regularly during the day to stay focused, act as a reminder and keep you on track. At the end of the day - cross off what you've completed and add what's still to be done to the following day.

Cull your lists regularly - quite often the more trivial items will fall off the end of the list. Relate your daily tasks to your goals and objectives - where do they fit in?

Create a master list - these are place holders or tasks that you'd like to do 'some day' or in the near future but aren't yet a priority or something you need to focus on right now, so don't clutter up your list.

Set aside time every now and then to tackle all those little tasks you never quite get round to but you know won't actually take long when you do. An hour's focused action can enable you to tick off quite a few of those tasks. (A Focus Day is a great way to tackling to-do lists).

Use your to-do list as part of your daily planning.

If you're struggling with your lists give me a call and I'll help you make sense of them.

Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Networking Tip #25 Meet Up

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:07:00 +0000

If you regularly attend network meeting, you'll know that you don't often manage to have a lengthy conversation with the people you meet.

While you might carry on a conversation and follow-up via email, phone or social media - it's always good to meet up for a longer conversation.

You'll be able to find out more about what they do away from the noise and distractions of a busy network meeting and perhaps discover something you didn't know.

As part of the follow-up process, after each networking meeting, arrange to meet up with at least one or two of the people you've met. Either a new contact or perhaps even someone you already know but haven't had a longer chat over coffee.

Remember, the intention is to find out more about them, their challenges and how you might be able to help. Don't see it as an opportunity to do a sales pitch.

Image via Wikipedia

Blue, Blue Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Today is the day of the year when we're all supposedly feeling depressed. It's cold dark and gloomy, the glow of the Christmas holiday is fading, New Year's Resolutions have already been broken and we're regretting the over-indulgence and spending as the credit card bills arrive and you don't get paid until the end of the month and the Summer seems like a long way off.

Well today is most certainly blue - as I write this, the sun is shining, there's a lovely blue sky out there and I'm watching the birds on the feeders in my garden which is bathed in winter sunshine.

So how can you beat the January blues? Start by thinking positively - if you look for the negative then you'll find it.

Keep things in perspective. If you've got food in the refrigerator, money in the bank, a roof over your head and somewhere to sleep - you're better off than 75% of the world, so be grateful for what you do have.

If you want to know how to keep those New Year resolutions, you just need to read January's newsletter for a few tips to keep the motivation going throughout the year.

Take a look at your life as it is now - what do you want to change. Rather than moan about it and feel worse - decide to do something. If you're not sure where to start do the Life Balance exercise - it will show you were you need to focus and give you a few ideas.

Don't just plan your Summer holiday but plan a few breaks throughout the year. Easter is coming up in April, there's a long weekend to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June. Take advantage of the long weekends for a few days away at least once a quarter.

Get out in to the fresh air and sunshine. Even though it's January, it's not cold and grey every day (like today). Wrap up warm and go for a brisk walk in your lunch break or on the way in to work.

Budget your finances, so you know how much you have to spend each month and put a little away to save up for those special occasions or unexpected expenses. Take a look at the More Money e-Course to help you get on top of your finances and start saving for your future.

Image via Wikipedia

How To Achieve What You Want In 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

"Setting out at the beginning of a new year as you intend to continue is always a good starting point.

However, most people slip back into bad habits or forget all about those New Year resolutions by about mid- February if not before.

But how can you make those resolutions stick?

How can you make sure that all those good intentions and possibilities at the beginning of the year actually continue? ..."

Read the full article: 'How To Achieve What You Want In 2012' in January's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Have You Lost Your Identity?

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

According to a recent NetMums survey, over half of working mums today feel as if they've lost their 'mojo'.

Many women I know have lost a sense of who they are. Before they got into a relationship or got married and had children, they were their own person. They had a job, they had their own interests outside of their family and friends.

Now many women are defined by being a wife, a mother, a carer, chief cook and bottle washer and have lost their own sense of identity. Even if they're running their own businesses or have a full-time job, they still end up being responsible for the majority of the

I've heard many working mums say their children come first - of course they're important and they need you but it doesn't mean you should come third, fourth or even further down the list of importance.

Find time for yourself as the woman you once were before you become even more invisible to your children, your partner and your family. Think about your own personal development. What is it that you want to achieve in your life?

If you're happy, motivated and content with your own life and who you are, you'll be in a better position to give more to your family and friends.

Time Management Know It All

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

You've read the book, you've attended the workshop, you know the theory but you don't quite manage to put it in to practice.

It's not that you don't know what to do, it's just that for various reasons you don't do it.

You know you should plan, prioritise and organise your time in order to be more productive and effective but sometimes you can fall at the first hurdle.

Ironically, too many people are simply too busy to plan their day - they're always in reactive mode.

They think that just by getting on with the tasks in front of them or dealing with whatever's shouting loudest they'll get everything done.

They're too busy to stop for a few minutes and take a step back and think more strategically or even spend time prioritising.

Well, it can work this way but you'll end up stressed out, working late in to the evening and at weekends in order to get everything done or never quite getting to the end of your 'to-do' list.

Perhaps you've always done it in a particular way - either because you don't know any better or because it works, although it might not be the best way to do it.

Now's a good time to get off the treadmill, stick your head up above the parapet and step away from that ever increasing to-do list. Re-focus and look at things through fresh eyes.

Is this the best or only way?
Could this be done differently?

Take the first step to put that knowledge into practice.

Need help? Complete my Time Audit or book a Strategy Session.

Image via Wikipedia

Surviving Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Christmas can be a stressful time of year - particularly with all the added pressure that gets piled on us.

You've fought your way through the crowds of Christmas shoppers to grab the best bargains and stressed over the size of the gifts and what to give the awkward Uncle or bought yet another bottle of something smelly for some distant Aunt.

Families thrown together who probably barely speak all year but somehow feel obliged to get together at Christmas.

The TV and adverts are full of people indulging in the most wonderful, blissful and happy, snow-filled Christmas full of well, wrapped presents, sparkling lights, clinking glasses and plates of beautifully prepared food.

If you've been planning the 'perfect' Christmas meal - don't get stressed out when it doesn't turn out quite as you'd expected, your guests turn up late, the turkey takes longer to cook than planned, the roast potatoes are burnt, the sprouts that no-one eats have turned to mush and the house has turned in to a war zone with feuding families and fractious children.

Don't panic!!

Plan what needs to be done on the big day and give everyone tasks to help out. Work backwards to get the timings right.

Don't try to do everything yourself. There's no point in being a martyr and then complaining that no bothered to lend a hand. Just ask.

It's really not necessary to have 20 different varieties of vegetable - some of which you've probably never cooked before and half of which no one will eat.

Moderate the alcoholic intake with water and soft drinks, so you don't end up with a crashing hangover or headache and an even worse temper.

Try and get out for some fresh air and a good walk at least once.

The shops are only closed for one day - you really won't starve or run out of food in that time.

Be grateful for what you have - there are many people far worse off than you.

You can always return those socks or that festive jumper (although they're making a comeback this year).

And when you've had enough, everything's gone wrong and things possibly couldn't get any worse - just remember that "worse things happen at sea" and with any luck no one died!

Remember it's the people around you who are important at this time of year and not how much 'stuff' we give, receive or consume.

Image via Wikipedia

Ineffective Cold Calling

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Cold-calling - two words that fill most people with dread - either making those calls or being on the receiving end of them.

Having just been on the receiving end of a yet another cold-call, one of the things that annoys me most is when having established that it is actually you on the line - they launch into their script with hardly a pause for breath and with no concept of whether you actually might be in the middle of something.

I always wait to see how long it takes them to pause and ask me a question. Sometimes the question comes fairly quickly, at other times they don't wait, they just keep going based on the assumption that I'm going to want what they're selling.

If there's a hint of dis-interest they either change up a gear or switch to their "How To Handle Objections" script.

Now I'm no expert on cold-calling and could certainly learn from the experts but doesn't it make sense to at least ask a couple of pertinent questions before launching into your 'speel'? Better still don't use a script but a few key bullet points for discussion.

I did compliment someone on their calling technique the other day - they were informal, friendly and

Better to end a call quickly and move on and stop wasting both yours and their time.

[If you register with the Telephone Preference Service you can eliminate most cold callers - doesn't work for overseas, businesses numbers or if you've 'opted-in'.]

Image via Wikipedia

December Newsletter: Review Your Year, Ensure Your Success + Two Special Offers

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:08:00 +0000

"You've worked hard all year, so now's the time to enjoy a well-earned break and take some time to enjoy and celebrate your successes this year.

Whatever's happening for you - the end of one year and the start of the next is a great time to review your successes and challenges for the past year and there have certainly been a few for all of us.

With the recession still biting hard, governments and countries going into meltdown and powers beyond our control having an impact on all our lives, it can be hard to stay positive.

Set aside some time between now and the end of the year for an Annual Review and give yourself a pat on the back....."

Read the full article: 'Review Your Year, Ensure Your Success' in December's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Image by 2Tales via Flickr

Networking Tip #24 Quality or Quantity

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

There often seem to be two main debates on networking and your contact lists - the "Quality vs Quantity" debate and this applies to most of the main social media sites.

Some people purely play the numbers game and go for Quantity - regardless of the quality of the contacts and are unlikely to develop a relationship with many of those in their network.

Others are more interested in Quality and will nurture and develop a smaller number of contacts who they know at some level.

I'm more selective and tend to connect with people I know, develop relationships started offline or connect offline with those I know online (where practical). Because of the introduction opportunity on LinkedIn it makes sense to at least be on speaking or nodding terms with those in your 1st level so that you can make the most of your 2nd level connections.

It also takes time to manage and build your relationship which is going to take a whole lot longer if you have tens of thousands of people in your network, unless you're only interested in one-way, outward communication.

Which do you prefer and are you a Quantity or Quality networker?

Image via Wikipedia

Creating An Inspirational Workplace

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

Google have refurbished their London offices to improve the working environment for their staff and they're on the right track.

Working environments are important to a productive and effective workplace, especially where creativity is required. Most of us could benefit from a little fun and frivolity in our workplace, somewhere to chill-out during a busy working day.

Our brains can only concentrate for a certain period of time before our productivity starts to drop off and we all the know the feeling of trying desperately to remember where we left our keys, recall someone's name or solve a tricky problem - the more you concentrate on it, the less likely you are to come up with a solution. Go and do something completely different and the answer pops in to your mind.

Give your brain and body a chance to switch off, relax, step up or down to a different energy level and your more likely to come up with your best ideas, have those moments of insight and boost your productivity levels. Think of those 'Eureka' moments you have in the shower or

So, no it's not a waste of money and for a company like Google, it's important to keep their programming staff at their most creative, innovative and productive peak.

You might not be able to introduce exotic cappuccino machines, provide a music and games room and even build an in-door park for your employees but understand the importance of breaks and that we all need quiet times, changes in environment, avoid distractions and different levels of energy to be our most productive best.

How you do you maintain your own productivity in your working environment.

Train Your Team

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0000

It's all very well working on your own time management skills but if the rest of your team aren't good at managing their time, what can you do?

Firstly - if you're lucky, some of your good time habits may just rub off on them. Especially when they see how much more productive you are. While they're running around reacting to every event, you're remaining calm. You leave work on time and you don't spend every evening playing catch-up.

Educate them and pass on your skills, so that you can stay in control of your time and don't let them start controlling you.

Each team member needs to respect each other's time and realise the impact their poor time habits has on everyone else around them. Those urgent, last minute requests ...

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

... constant interruptions, distracting people from what they're working on (this can easily be wasting 1-2 hours or your precious time every day).

Boundaries are important - knowing when to say no to your colleagues and even your boss. If you're being bombarded by constantly changing priorities, decide which really are important and which are your responsibility. The more you understand this, the more they'll respect your time.

Lack of clarity and not setting expectations. Remember - what, when, where and how. If you're clear about what you want and what's needed it saves wasted time and misunderstanding.

Email etiquette is another good habit to get across to your team. How many times have you played email ping pong with time-wasting and ineffective messages being passed round the department.

Networking Tips #23 Build Your Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:06:00 +0000

When I first started out networking the thought of standing up and even delivering a brief 60-second intro filled me with dread.

I know others feel the same way and will avoid it at all costs but if you want to promote your business, you have to get out there and shout about it - or at least talk about it and that means having the confidence in what you do and how you say it.

Networking can be a great way to build your confidence. It helps you to get used to being the centre of attention even for those brief few seconds and the more you do the less self-conscious you feel. After all, everyone else is in the same boat and they're really not that different from you.

Practice makes perfect - you'll hone your intro, you'll be able to hold conversations with perfect strangers and who knows, you may even be able to stand up in front of a room full of those strangers and share your words of wisdom at some point in the future.

Staff To Be Banned From Sending Email

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:12:00 +0000

And I bet they see an increase in productivity.

Thierry Breton, CEO of Atos is calling for a zero email policy, replacing it with instant messaging.

Email is one of the scourges of the modern technological age.

Yes, it means that communication can be fast and efficient and allows us to communicate across time zones in a matter of minutes but it's also one of the biggest sources of time-wasting in the modern office.

With many people receiving dozens if not hundreds of emails every day in their work email many people wonder how they actually manage to get any work done and with many of those emails being irrelevant, it's no wonder.

How many emails have you received from a colleague sitting just a few feet away?

How many times does an email run into pages in length, containing all the previous discussions? Useful but not always essential.

How many times does the subject of the email have no bearing on the topic - usually because the conversation has changed during the course of many email exchanges (see above)?

How many emails do you receive which are not relevant but you've been copied in 'just in case'?

How many evenings and weekends have you spent catching up with the backlog?

And that's not taking into account the 'spam' that ends up in our Inbox.

Part of the problem with emails is the amount of interruptions we make to our day to deal with it and the distraction, as another new email pops in to the Inbox.

That's not likely to change if the email interface is replaced with instant messaging. It's not a matter of getting rid of email - it's about dealing with it more effectively.

Contact me if you want to manage your email more effectively.

Be Careful What You Wish For ...

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:50:00 +0000

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

... you might just get it.

While most of us would be delighted to have more business than we can handle - if you can't meet a sudden surge in demand, then either your costs will increase in order to keep up or you'll actually end up losing business and disappointing your customers.

Rachel Brown recently discovered the price of having to meet an overwhelming demand as a result of a Groupon Offer for her cup cakes.

Charging less than cost price for your business service or product may be a way of attracting new business but as a long-term business solution it's not going to help your bottom-line. You're still having to work hard to produce the goods (or services) but you're potentially being paid less than it's costing you and in Rachel's case it wiped out any profit.

Not only are you making a heavily discounted offer but Groupon is then taking a significant cut off the price of the offer - meaning you may only be left with 10%, 15% or 20% of the full price.

While fulfilling the GroupOn offers you may potentially be turning away business at the full amount and you only get your money when the offer is fulfilled and the customers turn up.

You may think you're attracting new customers but many people will only go for the heavily discounted offer and never return. You're left out of pocket and without the potential of those hoped for future sales

If you're going to give your business away for free or for a greatly discounted price, know what it's actually going to cost you in real terms and think it through carefully.

Be prepared for the increase in calls and orders. Will you need more staff, more product or can you scale up your activity as the demand increases?

Find ways to grow your business and reach more clients with this online business e-course.

Networking Tip #22 Make It Personal

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:55:00 +0000

Most of us receive regular invites to connect with someone on one of the many and growing number of social media networks.

The majority come with the pretty standard invitation message. Linked In, ReferralKey, Connect.me

Linked In in, like many others, allows you to send invites or connect with people you know.

Most people just use the standard "I'd like to add you to my professional network" but sometimes this creates a question in the mind of the receiver.

Do I really know this person? (perhaps I do and I've forgotten)
Have I done business with them? (don't recognise them or their business name)
Why have they indicated 'friend' and we've never met?

Linked In might be a bit limited in the choice of reasons to connect but it doesn't stop you from changing the standard message to something a bit more personal.

"We met at x networking event ...."
"I enjoyed your recent talk, seminar, blog, podcast ..."
"I'm interested in finding out more about ..."

Give them a reason you'd like to connect and they're more likely to Accept your invite. It also helps to open up the conversation. You might not know them but there might be a perfectly good reason and perhaps an opportunity in at least saying "Hello".

Equally - if you receive an invite - it might be worth taking a few moments to clarify the reasons for their contact before automatically accepting - especially if you're not sure who they are or can't remember where you met them.

Send a personal message after you've accepted too - even "Thanks" is better than nothing.

So if you'd like to connect with me on Linked In - send me an invite, please do but make it personal and tell me why.

November Newsletter: Are You Suffering From Information Overwhelm?

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:24:00 +0000

"I'm sure this is something that I'm sure will resonate with many people. The shear amount of information we receive on a daily basis in both paper and electronic format - resulting in 'information overload'.

I recently came across this quote from Clay Shirky.

"It's not information overload - it's filter failure".

And it's true. Our sub-conscious minds are very good at filtering. If you think of the amount of information we receive through our senses on a daily basis but we focus or pay attention to only what is important...."

Read the full article: 'Are You Suffering From Information Overwhelm?' in November's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Image: 89studio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Webcast: Create Boundaries to Save Time and Money

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:30:00 +0000

One of the key factors in saving you time and money is having better boundaries for yourself and your clients. Find out how in this Thought Leadership Live webinar.

View here or click this link to view on BrightTalk: http://www.brighttalk.com/r/cDP

October Newsletter: What's Your Time Management Style?

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

"We're all different and we all have different ways of working. Some of you may feel you're a lost cause or that 'time management' just isn't for you but that's not the case.

There's no one time management methodology or system that's going to work for everyone but there are strategies that will work for you.

In working with clients over the years, I've come across several different time management styles. You may adopt different styles at home and work and you may have a couple of styles you fit into. Here are a few key elements of the main time styles. ..."

Read the full article: 'What's Your Time Management Style?' in October's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Networking Tips #21 Social Media Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Image by daniel_iversen via Flickr

These days, anyone who's in business is in to social media - or so it seems.

Now there are still a lot of people who don't 'get' it and many people think it's just another place to waste time on idle gossip (it can be) but it's also a great place for online networking.

It's not that different from networking offline - it's part of your marketing strategy and if you're going to use it for business then you need to have some form of strategy to make the most of it. Talk to the experts if you need to find out how to make it work for you.

The 'social' part means you don't need to be rigidly formal all the time. You also don't or shouldn't post purely about business. Just like face-to-face networking, no one wants to be bombarded with a constant sales pitch.

Use it to keep in touch and have conversations with people you meet in the off-line world. Get to know people online before you meet them face-to-face. It certainly helps to break the ice as you feel you already know them.

Expand your network beyond the limitations of face-to-face networking, where you're more restricted by time and location.

Social networking is a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with a wider audience. It's also a good to way to bring people to your website.

Connect with people on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Search out the websites, forums and discussion groups for your industry. Find the social media networks that work best for you and

You're Never Too Old

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Over the weekend Fauja Singh completed the Toronto marathon to become the oldest marathon runner at the age of 100 and he only started running 10 years ago.

It goes to show that you're never too old to start something new and while the thought of running a marathon might seem daunting - it's also something that anyone can do with a little planning and a reasonable amount of training. Think of the number of first timer runners at the London Marathon each year.

If you've never run before, don't let that put you off. When you start running for the first time, you're not expected to run a full marathon straight off. Start slowly with a mix of walking/jogging or just brisk walking for 20 minutes if you've not exercised for a while. Gradually increase the amount of running time against walking until you can run/jog continuously for 30 minutes.

Following a training plan to build you up over several weeks or months, depending on your target.

I've not yet made it to marathon distance but I have run several half-marathons and have another one coming up next year. Before I started running in my 30s I'd never run before - except for the bus and got started the slow and steady route.

It's the same with anything you want to learn or do. Start slowly and build up your skills and expertise. Get lessons, get trained, talk to an expert.

Don't forget - overnight success takes years of hard work and training.

Having It All ... With No Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:43:00 +0000

Image by spcbrass via Flickr

Juggling, multi-tasking, doing everything and being a business mum can be tough.

At the recent Business Mums Summit I heard many comments from hard-working mums who were trying to squeeze as much as possible into their day, in order to run their own businesses and mostly managing to burn the candle at both ends.

Getting up early to get work done before the rest of the house wakes-up.
Fitting in the shopping, housework, feeding the children, school runs with a phone tucked under your chin, talking to a client.
Working late after the children have gone to bed to catch up on emails, admin and your accounts.
Working at weekends, while Dad or the grand-parents look after the children or they've been stuck in front of the TV with a DVD.
Never spending time with your partner, as you're both too tired after a hard day's work or you're just ships that pass in the night.
Running your own business alongside a full or part-time job, so you're literally squeezing every hour out of the day. Coming back from a full days work to start work on your own business.

No wonder you're run ragged, exhausted, surviving on very little sleep and wondering if it's all worth it. It doesn't have to be this way.

Get some help!
One thing it's important to learn, is that you can't and don't have to do everything yourself. Whether it's help around the house or help with some of the admin in your business, focus on what only you can do and get help from someone else to give you more time. Sometimes it's a matter of just asking.

Plan your time.
Not just the time you spend on your business but the time you have for yourself, time with the family and time for your friends. Make sure that the time you spend working on your business is spent productively, so you can maximise your results. Know what you need to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to grow your business.

Get organised.
Create systems and processes to make life easier and organise your time effectively so you waste less of it. Rushing around every morning trying to find what's needed for school just creates stress. Build structure and routines in to your day to make life easier for yourself and your family.

Look after yourself.
This is one of the hardest things for people (especially mums) to do. You're so busy looking after everyone else that you never find time for yourself. If you're tired, grumpy and not working efficiently you're not doing yourself or anyone around you any favours. Make sure you get some time out each day, so you're always working at your best.

If you want to find out how to have it all AND get more sleep - book up a free Strategy Session.

Networking Tips #20 Business Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0000

These are an essential tool for networking and it's useful to carry one or two with you wherever you go.

You never know when you might want to give someone your contact details. I always have one or two in my wallet for those totally random moments, when you're not necessarily at a business meeting.

It's one of the most important and useful tools for business and worth spending a little time and effort on.

'Free' or low-cost cards can be a quick and easy option if you're really low on budget but believe me - you'll soon be able to recognise a Vistaprint business card at 100 paces. It doesn't cost a lot to print 500-1000 good quality cards.

What's on your card comes down to personal preference but remember that it also reflects on your business. Ultimately purpose is to display your contact details, so that's the most important feature - clear, easy to read contact details that make it easy for people to get in touch.

Contact number(s) - more people these days only use their mobile phone for business but should you have a landline number too? A landline number can give a degree of confidence and a mobile only can be difficult to get hold of - out of range, switched off, weak signal, poor connection.

Email address - use a business address not your ISP provider - it looks more professional. I've noticed some people don't include an email address but they do include their website. OK, I could guess but make it easy.

Social media - most of us are on Twitter, Linked In or Facebook and it can be useful to include your social media details on your business card, although it can end up getting cluttered if you include absolutely everything alongside your address, phone numbers, website, email ... etc.

If I pick up or look at someone's business card, I want to know who they are, what they do and how I can contact them by phone or email.

Gimmicky, unusual or fancy cards may make you more noticeable and more memorable but don't forget the basics - readability and ease of contact.

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Image: nattavut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Grow Your Followers On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Clare Evans) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:04:00 +0000

Follow me on Twitter via WikipediaSomething I often get asked about Twitter is how to grow your followers. It's relatively easy to grow the people you follow if you spend a few minutes a day actively finding people to follow but how do you get people to follow you?

Well, this might depend on whether you want to put a little time and effort in to Twitter and create a following organically or if you want to use some of the automation tools that are available.

Automation tools like TweetAdder will enable you to increase your followers based on certain filters but you may be playing the numbers game rather than building a targeted following.

Some people automatically follow you back when you Follow them, so that's one way to increase your Followers.

People are more likely to follow you if you have something interesting to say.

Have conversations, share information, re-tweet other people's tweets - if people see you engaging with people they follow, they're more likely to follow you.

Share information 80% of the time and 'sell' 20% of the time or less.

What goes around, comes around. If you follow more people, the chances are more people will follow you.

Patience and persistence pay off. Don't expect thousands of people to start following you as soon as you start using Twitter. It does take time.

If you're not going to spend the time, don't get involved. Think about your reasons for being on Twitter (or any other social media platform). If you have an objective and a strategy, you're far more likely to get results and have people following you.

Clare Evans

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